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Charles V

TOUR :  Hohenzollern in Franconia ➜

The Zollern dynasty is named after their ancestral seat, Zolra Castle near Hechingen in present-day Baden-Württemberg. The name Hohenzollern was not used until the 16th century. The Zollern came to Franconia when the Hohenstaufen Emperor Henry VI (r.1190-1197) gave them the burgrave's office in Nuremberg in 1191/92. In 1214 the family divided into the Swabian and the Frankish line of the Zollern. The acquisition of the Mark Brandenburg in 1415/17 led to the formation of a further, Elector Brandenburg branch of the Zollern.

Joachim I "Nestor",  Elector of Brandenburg 1499-1535 Joachim (*1484) became the successor of his father Elector Johann Cicero at the age of 15. He initially ruled together with his younger brother Albrecht, who later became Archbishop and Elector of Mayence. After the death of Cs. Maximilian's death, Joachim applied in vain for the imperial crown, negotiated with Kg. Francis I of France and was the last to agree to the election of Charles V, thereby forfeiting his favour. After the death of Emperor Maximilian, Joachim applied in vain for the imperial crown. He negotiated with Kg. Francis I of France and was the last to agree to the election of Charles V, thereby forfeiting his favour. The imperial-minded Joachim was a resolute opponent of the Reformation. He supported Charles V's Edict of Worms of 1521 outlawing Luther and even became violent towards the Elector of Saxony. His wife Elisabeth of Denmark, who declared herself for the Reformation, had to seek refuge in Saxony in 1528. Joachim took an extremely intransigent anti-Protestant position at the Augsburg Diet of 1530. Joachim was well-educated and set up the university of Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder in 1506. He fought hard against feudalism and robber baronry and reformed the judicial system in his country. Later, he was given the nickname "Nestor". Contrary to the "Dispositio Achillea" (1473) of his grandfather, Joachim I divided his inheritance between his two sons. He obliged them to keep the Catholic confession, but in vain. Guldengroschen 1521, Frankfurt/Oder.     Ø 41 mm, 28,49 g.   Bahrfeldt 294; Dav.8945. Obv.:   ⦂IOACHIM⦂MARCHIO⦂BRANdenburgici⦂PRINceps⦂ELECTor : "Joachim, margrave of Brandenburg, elector" Bust, crowned and in elector robes; the right hand holds the electoral sceptre. Rev.:   ⦂MONEta⦂NOva⦂ARGENtea⦂PRINcipis⦂ELECToris⦂BRANDenburgici "Silver money from the electorate of Brandenburg" Arms split in quarters (Brandenburg, Pomerania, Burgraveship of Nuremberg, Zollern) plus a center shield (imperial scepter of electoral Brandenburg), date on top. These Thalers are rare: because of a lack of silver, they were only minted in small numbers in 1521 and 1522. In addition, they were melted down to mint small coins of lower valency. How did the Pomeranian Griffin get into the coat of arms? Pomerania had recognised Brandenburg's fief right to elector Albrecht Achilles (1470-86), but they denied it to his successor John Cicero (1486-99). Charles V, who had not forgotten Joachim's initial opposition to his election as emperor, formally bequested Pomerania to the Duke of Pomerania in 1521. It was not until 1529 that Brandenburg recognised the immediacy of Pomerania. In return, Brandenburg was guaranteed the hereditary right of succession in the event of the extinction of the Pomeranian dukes. 1/4 Thaler 1524, Stendal.     Ø 30 mm, 8,60 g.   Bahrfeldt 308 h. Obv.:   :IOAC·PRIN·ELEC·MAR·BRAND (mm.) Bearded bust in electoral robes, shouldering a scepter with his right hand. Rev.:   MONE:NO:ARGEN:PRIN:ELECT:BRAND: Coat of arms as before, date 15Zጸ [1524]. Uniface cast silver medal (about 1519)  by Hans Schwarz.   Ø 70 mm. Brockmann 2, Habich 143. Specimen in the Coin Cabinet from the Staatlichen Museen, Berlin IOACHIMI MARCHIONIS BRAND P·E ÆT·SVE XXXV❀ The age of 35 years correlates with the creation of the medal in 1519 and the ordering at the diet in Augsburg 1518. Cast bronze medal 1530.   model by Friedrich Hagenauer.   Ø 70,1 mm, 90,8 g. Brockmann 1, Habich 560. Obv.:   EFFIGIES DOMINI IOACHIMI MARCHIONIS BRANDENBVRGENSIS PRIN ELECTORIS ETAT XXXXVI ANNO SAL M D XXX     "The effigy of Lord Joachim, Margrave of Brandenburg, Elector, at the age of 46, in the year of salvation in 1530" Half-length portrait in feathered beret and coat with fur collar, and a necklace with jewel, to the left. In front of his shoulder the signature FH (as ligated monogram). Rev.: SCEPTRIGER / IMPERII IOACHIMVS / MARCHIO PRINCEPS / BRANDENBVRGEN. EMI / CAT HISTE MODIS "This is how Joachim, Margrave of Brandenburg, the bearer of the imperial scepter, looks like" Compare the painting 1529, 64x42cm, from Lucas Cranach the Elder in the Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg.

Joachim II "Hector",  Elector of Brandenburg 1535-1571 - first son of Joachim I - Born in 1505, Joachim II was educated at the court of Ks. Charles V. In 1532 he accompanied the emperor on the Turkish campaign, where he probably acquired the nickname "Hector", which, however, hardly suited his peaceful and thoughtful nature. He strove for an amicable settlement of the religious dispute. In 1539 he took communion with the court "under both forms", and in 1540 he issued a church order (new doctrine and old liturgy) which sought to maintain a middle position between the parties without breaking with Rome. In the Schmalkaldic War, he initially remained neutral, but later supported the Emperor because he saw rebels in the Schmalkalds. He consequently accepted the Augsburg Interim of 1548. Joachim II did not support the princely revolt of Maurice of Saxony in 1552, but he was a forerunner of the subsequent Treaty of Passau. In 1555 he supported the religious peace of Augsburg. By a treaty of hereditary brotherhood (1537) with Duke Frederick II of Liegnitz-Brieg, Joachim II wanted to secure his house's claim to Silesia, but King Ferdinand I as Frederick's Bohemian liege lord declared the treaty invalid in 1546. Joachim II, on the other hand, was successful at the Polish Imperial Diet in 1569, where he received co-enfeoffment with Prussia, as he was related by marriage to the Polish king. Finally. He also secured the archbishopry of Magdeburg to the princes of Brandenburg. (See below: Sigismund of Brandenburg). As a result of his great extravagance, Joachim II was in constant need of money and therefore had to make great concessions to the estates. Single-sided cast medal n.d. (1518) by Hans Schwarz.   Ø 55 mm.  Habich I,1 131; Kastenholz 41. This only preserved specimen is kept in the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg. P[?]K•Z•E•Z•IAM ME ... •PLVS•A• Bust to the left with net cat and beret, the brim with agraffe. A corresponding design drawing 23x19cm has been preserved in the Staatl. Kupferstichkabinett Berlin. The 13-year-old Joachim had accompanied his father to the Imperial Diet in Augsburg in 1518. There Hans Schwarz made drawings that served as models for ordered medals. Guldengroschen 1542, Stendal.     Ø 40 mm, 28,68 g.   Bahrfeldt 348a; Dav.8950. Obv.:   IOACHim·II·D·G·MARchio·BRAndenburgici·Sacri·Romini·IMPerii·Princeps·ELector· (mm. tower) "Joachim II, by the grace of God, Margrave of Brandenburg and Elector in the Holy Roman Empire" Bust with a sceptre on the right shoulder and in a coat of ermine.   The tower at the end of the obverse legend is the "talking sign" of mint master Hans Thornow in Stendahl. Rev.:   MONeta·NOVA·PRINceps·ELECToris·BRAndenburgici· coat of arms with center shield as before and date on top. Reichsguldiner 1551, Berlin.     Ø 42 mm, 30,74 g.   Bahrfeldt 386; Dav.8951. Specimen from the Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfort, published in Deutsche Taler (1966) pl.29. Obv.:   IOCHIM·II·D·G·MARCHIO·BRANDEM·ELECT¤ (¤ = mint mark: mill wheel) Effigy in electoral robes, holding sceptre and sword, date 1551 below. Rev.:   CAROLI·V·IN(m)Peratoris·AVGVSTI·Publicari Fecit·DECRETO·PIi·FELICIs¤ "Emperor Charles V, ever august, made by public decree" crowned and haloed double eagle, the imperial orb with the value 72 (in Kreuzer) on its breast. Kreuzer were hardly in circulation in Northern Germany. The value of "72 Kreuzer" complied with the specifications of the Imperial Mint Order of 1551 which laid down the weight and standard of all Guldiners in the empire. The design of the reverse was prescribed and the title of the reigning emperor had to appear on the reverse. After 1871 the custom to use a standardized reverse was resumed for large German coins. The Euro coins keep up the tradition since 2002. Look at the painting about 1570, 112x88 cm, from Lucas Cranach the Younger in the Jagdschloss Grunewald, Berlin-Dahlem. 3 Gröscher 1553, Frankfurt Oder, for trade with Poland.     Ø 20 mm   Bahrfeldt 382c. Obv.:   ¤IOACHim·Dei·Gratia·ELECTor:Princeps:BRANDenburgici·V Rev.: ¤III¤ | GrOSsus:ARGentea | TRIPlex:IOAChim | ELECTOR | BRA-ND | 15 (sceptre) 51 An imitation of the Polish denomination with its typical "head side" and "value side". Ducat 1560, Berlin.     Ø 22 mm, 3,43 g.   Bahrf.- (455, as double ducat); Friedb.213.4 Obv.:   IOACH᛭D᛭G᛭MARC᛭BRAN᛭ELEC   -   bareheaded bust in armor to the right. Rev.:   ❀MONETA᛭NOVA᛭AVRE᛭BRAN᛭I560 quartered shield (Brandenburg, Pomerania, Burgraviate of Nuremberg, Zollern), in the center the imperial scepter of Electoral Brandenburg, a star above and to each side of the shield. This is the first gold coinage in Brandenburg, which shows a picture of the ruler. The ducat was declared official gold coin at the Augsburg imperial law six years later (1566).

John I "Hans",  Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin 1535-1571 - second son of Joachim I - Born in 1513. In his testament, Joachim I installed his second son John as Margrave of Brandenburg although a partition of the country had been ruled out by law. After his father's death, John immediately pledged himself to the Lutheran faith, contrary to his father's demands. In 1538, John became a member of the Schmalkalden Alliance, but withdrew again in 1545 when the alliance turned against Henry the Younger of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, his father-in-law and an ardent catholic. He fought with the emperor in the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547. He rejected the Augsburg Interim and sought allies in order to ward off imperial pressure, but he did not support the insurrection of Maurice of Saxony in 1552. John turned his residence Küstrin into one of the strongest fortresses of the time, and yet he was also able to achieve a turnround of the financial situation of his small country. He was childless and died just ten days after his brother so that Neumark reverted to the House of Hohenzollern. Thus the partition decreed by Joachim I did not have any negative implications for the House of Brandenburg. Thaler 1545, Krossen.     Ø 42 mm, 29,08 g.   Bahrfeldt 464; Dav.8956. Obv.:   ¤IOHANNES:D:G:MARCHIO¤BRANDENBVRG "John, by the grace of God, Margrave of Brandenburg" Rev.:   ¤IN+SILENCIO¤ET+SPE¤FORTITVDO¤MEA   "Silence and hope are my strenth." Compare with a detail of a picture about Christ's baptism von 1556 from Lucas Cranach the Younger. Thaler 1545, Krossen.     Ø 42 mm, 28,64 g.   Bahrfeldt 465b; Dav.8957. Obv.:   ❀IOHANES·D:G·MARCHIO❀BRANDENBVRG❀ armored bust to the right, the left hand on the sword hilt. Rev.:  ❀IN᛭SILENCIO❀ET᛭SPE❀FORTITVDO❀MEA  -  shield with 15 fields, above the date +I545+. Margrave Johann received in 1545 an imperial letter in which he was denied the right to coinage in Krossen. The background was that "the country of Crossen, in whose city the margrave erects the mint, was a fief of the crown of Bohemia, but not an imperial fief" (Bahrf., p.235). Johann was asked to present his privileges, what Johann then did. The answer of the emperor, however, is not known. Groschen 1545, Krossen.     Ø 22 mm, 1,95 g.   Bahrfeldt 459a Obv.:   +IOHAN·D:G·MARchio·BRANDEN·ET·STe   ("STe..." for Stettin?) Rev.:   GROSS·AR·IOHAN·MAR·BRAND:1545     Eagle with the arms of Hohenzollern on its breast. Compare with a Groschen 1543, from Königsberg, East Prussia. 3 Gröscher 1545, Krossen.     Ø 21 mm ,   Fr.u.S.1991 ; Bahrf.462 Obv.:   +IOHAN·D:G·MAR·BRANDEN·ET·ST Rev.:   +III+ | GROS·AR· | ·IOHAN·MA | R·BRANDE | NBVRG· | ·1545· Compare with a 3 Gröscher 1543 from Königsberg, East Prussia. These Groschen and 3 Gröscher were coined in 1544-6. They imitate highly popular coins of Albert, Duke in Prussia, which were issued in accordance with the monetary reform of King Sigismund I of Poland. Prussia and Poland forbade these imitations from the neighbours John of Küstrin and Frederic II of Legnica-Brzeg (Silesia) in 1546, probably because they contained less silver than the original Prussian coins.

Sigismund of Brandenburg,  Archbishop of Magdeburg 1553-1566 - Son of Joachim II from his second marriage to Hedwig of Poland - Sigismund owes his name and great resemblance to his maternal grandfather, Sigismund of Poland. He succeeded his brother Frederick of Brandenburg, who died young in 1552, as Archbishop of Magdeburg and Bishop of Halberstadt when he was only 13 years old. A governor was added to the initially postulated bishop. In 1554 the estates at his bishopric in Halle paid homage to him. He was the last Archbishop of Magdeburg confirmed by the Pope during a difficult time: The city had introduced the Reformation in contradiction to Archbishop Albrecht, had refused to follow the Augsburg Interim of 1548, was therefore placed under imperial ban and was unsuccessfully besieged by Elector Moritz of Saxony in 1550/51. In 1561 Sigismund declared his conversion to Protestantism. In 1565 he inaugurated a new high school in Halle. Gilded cast silver medal 1560, probably from the workshop of Hans Schenck. Ø 29 mm, 7,05 g.   Brockmann 38; Habich II,1, 2266. Obv.:   SIGIS.ARCHIEPIS MAGBEBVRG.MARCHIO BRAN.MDLX  -  Bust left with pot hat and feather. Rev.:   Triple helmeted, 13 field coat of arms with the Magdeburg coat of arms as centre shield. Silver medal 1765 by J.L.Oexlein, on the 200th anniversary of the Protestant grammar school in Halle. Ø 45 mm, 29,21 g.   Marienb. 5046. Obv.:   SIGISMVNDus·ARchi·EPiscopus·MAGDeburgensis PRIMas·GERManiae·MARchio·BRANDenbutgicus· Armoured bust with hat and folded over cloak. Exergue: GYMNasii.HALensis FVNDATOR / 1565.   At the arm section: OEXLEIN. Rev.:   HELICON·ANTIQVAE·LAVDIS·ET·ARTIS. Bird's eye view of the university building, Jehovah's name shining in the clouds above. In the exergue under the coat of arms of Halle: HILARia.BIS.SAECularia.Die.28.AVGusti.1765 / D.S.M. D.S.M. = David Samuel Madai ?

other sovereigns of the Hohenzollern dynasty Albert of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Magdeburg and Mayence 1514-1545 in Prussia: Albert, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order (1511-25) and Duke in Prussia (1525-68) in Franconia: Frederick II the Elder 1460-1536, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach Casimir of Kulmbach 1481-1527, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach George the Pious 1484-1543, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach 1515-1543 Frederick 1497-1536, Provost in Würzburg and Mayence Albert Alcibiades 1522-1557, Markgrave of Brandenburg-Kumbach George Frederick the Elder 1539-1603, Margrave in Franconia, Duke of Jägersdorf & Prussia

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Charles V   /   Karl V.

TOUR :  Hohenzollern in Franconia ➜